


A Case In Point, Texas

by ratkingkelly



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Case Fic, Dean Winchester Angst, Gen, Season/Series 14 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 07:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18656266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratkingkelly/pseuds/ratkingkelly
Summary: They never get cut and dry cases when they need them.Sam and Dean are reeling from losing Mary - again - and when a case threatens to reveal exactly why Dean's been acting so strange since then, his brother and his reluctant best friend might end up with a lot more than they bargained for.(WIP!!! infrequent updates ): )





	A Case In Point, Texas

**Author's Note:**

> i literally wrote this high on sleep meds and it hasnt been beta'd and it's super super short so i havent rly gotten to the plot yet and there's a reason deans a bit ooc so DONT judge me or i'll cry! thanks

A cut and dry case is exactly what the Winchesters needed. That’s not to say any kind of monster hunting is easy, but when you’ve been ganking things that go bump in the night since you were old enough to throw a baseball, running into a couple of vampires isn’t necessarily anything to get upset about. Especially when you’re looking for a distraction. A little bit of slashing and burning works wonders for a grieving mind.

Sam needed this case. He was still reeling after Mary’s death. For the first time in his life, he had experienced what it was truly like to have a mother. He had held Mary in his arms. He had been held by her. He had learnt to love her, not just idolise the mythical idea of his father’s wife, born from drunken stories and fading pictures. He had actually heard Mary laugh - seen the wrinkles around her eyes when she grinned. He had seen her live. And he had truly loved her. That’s what made losing her this time around so much more brutal. Knowing that she loved him, no matter which gates he hadn't closed or which people he failed or what terrible things he had done to survive, filled in the biggest blank. But it also meant there was something so much... _more_ about her absence this time.

It was not lost on Sam that his brother had lost her like this twice.

Of course, he and Dean had run through the obligatory heart-to-heart after they had burned their mother. And, as per usual, Sam pretended he didn't notice Dean was holding back - caging his emotions like animals. What was worrying was the quiet. Dean had taken to shorter sentences, fewer words, less jokes. It wasn't enough for most people to notice, but just enough for Sam to feel... unnerved. 

From experience, he was sure Dean would deny any change the moment Sam brought it to his attention. Dean was always better off coming to Sam on his own.

Until that happened, Sam knew to keep them busy. The only thing more dangerous than a grieving Dean Winchester was a grieving, idle Dean Winchester. They had to slip back into a routine until they found Jack, or until Dean finally admitted losing Mom damaged him more than he let on. At least, that’s what Sam told himself when he dragged his brother to a case in Point, Texas.

 

* * *

 

 

They’re six hours into the eight hour drive when Dean seems to decide it’s time to get down to business. He lowers the volume on the tape deck a couple of notches, and that’s all the indication Sam needs to know his brother’s ready for a debrief.

Sam lets him ask anyway.

“So, what’re we getting ourselves into here?” Dean asks, his voice a little rough with disuse.

Sam switches tabs on his tablet before answering, “Four back-to-back missing persons cases in the past month. All kids, all disappeared from different places.”

Dean makes a shot in the dark. “Rawhead?”

“Rawheads aren’t the type to send their food back,” Sam replies, turning the tablet towards Dean. “Three of the missing person reports were withdrawn within 48 hours of being filed.”

“This thing is returning the kids?” Dean asks, disbelieving.

“Or something that looks like them.”

Dean swears. “You’re thinking changelings, huh? I hate those things,” he grumbles.

“You and me both,” Sam replies.

“Could be a Shtriga,” Dean ventures. “You know, taking the kids to feed on them and then dumping them once it's finished."

Sam shakes his head, “There’s a pattern of similar disappearances all across Texas, like it’s travelling from town to town.”

“That definitely sounds more like a Changeling's M.O.,” Dean concedes.

There’s a pause.

“And the – uh – the parents..?” Dean stumbles.

He doesn’t say ‘mothers’. Sam notices.

There’s a pregnant pause.

“Surprisingly, all still alive so far.”

Dean raises an eyebrow and turns to Sam. “That kinda creeps me out. They’ve been tucking little monsters into bed every night,” he says, grimacing. “The Changelings are probably waiting for the Mother’s go ahead to kill them all.”

“Yeah,” Sam sighs, nervously. “I’m just not sure what the Mother's waiting for. They’ve hit three other towns so far. Usually the mother Changeling doesn’t stay too far from the kids, but if the replacements are still in those towns, they’re pretty far apart."

Dean shakes his head and averts his gaze. “You said three of the missing person cases were closed. What about the fourth kid?” He asks.

“Uh, Ryan Tressler, seventeen years old,” Sam mumbles, searching for something on his tablet. He brings up a police report, and there’s a pause before he responds. “Still missing, as far as I can tell. He was the third one to disappear – just over a week ago – his parents haven’t heard anything from him.”

“Might just be a regular milk-carton kid. Pretty old for a Changeling,” Dean points out.

“That could be why the Mother hasn’t replaced him with one of her own. Maybe she screwed up, took the wrong person.”

Dean tilts his head to one side, thinking. “Guess that makes sense,” he says, his tone unconvinced.

“Well, if it’s not changelings we’ve gotta figure out what it is fast. The last girl to go missing came back last night, so it’s only a matter of time before the next one,” Sam says, solemnly.

Dean smirks at his brother. “No pressure.”

Sam smiles and looks back down at his tablet and Dean turns his gaze back to the road. They sit in comfortable silence for the rest of the drive, until they arrive at the Blue Spruce Motel around midday.

“So, what’s the plan?” Dean asks once they’re already inside the room, getting changed into their fed suits. “Talk to the parents, try not to get eaten by their evil kids?”

Sam nods as he pulls his tie from his bag. “I figure we split up for this one, save some time.”

Dean sighs and walks over to his younger brother, grabbing the tie from him and pulling his collar up. “Two families each, then?” He asks.

Sam momentarily shrinks back from Dean as he wraps the material around Sam’s neck. He starts to protest, “I can – ”

Ignoring the bewildered look on Sam’s face, Dean interrupts, “You never remember how to do ‘em when you get a new one.”

“Shut up,” Sam frowns. “Yes I do.”

Dean smooths down Sam’s tie once he’s done tying it. “You can shoot a gun in your sleep but can’t tie a damn tie,” he teases, punching his brother on the arm.

“I know how to tie a tie, Dean,” Sam huffs as Dean walks back over to his duffel.

“Yeah, yeah."

Sam shakes his head, raising an eyebrow at his brother. 

“Two of the vics houses are nearby,” he tells Dean. “I’ll walk down and check ‘em out, meet you back here in a couple hours.” He tucks his badge into his pocket and makes his way to the door.

“You really think it’s gonna take that long?” Dean asks, turning around to face him.

“Yeah. I gotta go see the family of the kid who’s still missing.”

Dean hisses in sympathy. “Drew the short straw there, Sammy.”

“If you really feel that bad for me, I mean, I could take the car and talk to the oth– ”

Dean laughs. “Good one.”

Sam rolls his eyes, smirking. He hands Dean a slip of paper. “Here’re the addresses for the other two. Ashley White was the first one to go missing, and Kesey Freeman is the one who got back last night.”

Dean nods, shoves the paper in his jacket pocket, and holds out the room keys for Sam to take. “You’ll probably be back before me anyway,” he says.

Immediately, Sam’s jaw tightens. “Please tell me you’re not planning on going bar-hopping tonight, Dean.”

Dean avoids Sam’s gaze.

“Dean,” Sam chides.

“Sam,” Dean mocks.

“Dean.”

“I just wanna go hustle a little pool, get us some extra cash – ”

“We’ve got plenty,” Sam interrupts.

Dean grumbles and shoves the keys back in his pocket. “Fine, Sammy,” he says. “But only because there’s a kid’s life on the line.”

“No more than two hours, Dean. We need all the time we can get,” Sam insists, opening the door.

“Call me when you’re done,” Dean says, curtly. And then, “I don’t wanna have to wait around for your ass.” ( _Call me so I know you’re safe._ )

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam replies. ( _I always do._ )


End file.
